My Story - How it all began.

Everybody has a story, this is mine.

I started dancing when I was 5 years old and would drive my mother crazy dancing up and down the passage and pirouette on the kitchen floor, making shiny marks all over the place. 

I danced with a brilliant, yet terrifying Ballet teacher called Miss Anna Nel. There had been many many times that I left dancing in tears as I had been the student of the day to be picked on). When it became too much for my Mom, she then me to another studio.  

At 13 years old, I joined the Johannesburg Art, Ballet and Music School and moved into the dorm. Which was frightening as I had never been away from home before. There are many foods that I still even today cannot even look at and will not eat because of that :)

When I left the Ballet school, I came back to Miss Nel and continued with my Ballet exams and completed my final exam before the last exam I was told I would never do, as they were only for her ballerinas. (Sad face.)

Those non-ballerinas and I started our studies by becoming Ballet Teachers. I taught Ballet for 2 years but chose to pursue other work in the business sector.

I continued ballet classes with Miss Nel until one night after work I arrived at the studio for my lesson, as usual, to find that gate was locked. I rang the bell hoping for Miss Nel to open it, which never happened. Instead, Miss Nel sent out one of the ballerinas to tell me that she is no longer teaching, and will only be taking classes for the ballerinas. 

You can imagine how shocked and upset I was! I danced with that studio for about 20 years. I told the girl that I had travelled an hour and a half for my lesson and wanted to dance. I was never let in. 

I found another studio close to work, but it was never the same. So I stopped dancing.

Once I was married a couple of years later and moved away, I found a young dancing teacher who offered adult ballet classes and danced with her for 3 years, until we immigrated to Australia. 

My mom recently told me that she thought I would stop dancing when I went to high school, but I continued way after that. It was my escape, my happy place. I drank, sleep and ate ballet. It was the only thing I wanted to do.

Looking back now, there were vital lessons that I learnt. One was never never give up. The second most important, I think, is always following your passion regardless of what others have to say.  

Even now when I boil the kettle I will stand holding onto the kitchen counter and do some barre work humming the music for the exercise. When I hear a piece of music that reminds me of one of the old dances and I would remember each step and dance along, much to my husband’s amusement. 

What about you? Do you have a first love too?